DraftKings NBA picks February 8: Ride the Knicks frontcourt value!

DETROIT, MI – JANUARY 30: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on January 30, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 125-114. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

DraftKings NBA picks February 8: Ride the Knicks frontcourt value!

There are six NBA games on our Thursday, which gives us a pretty good selection on what is normally one of the lighter nights. There are plenty of things to watch for here, such as the availability of Westbrook and Melo against the Lakers. We can only hope that we get news early because DraftKings doesn’t care enough to reinstate late swap like they have in every other sport.

Point Guards:

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook ($11,900): I am going to start this off with an unpopular opinion. Westbrook is overpriced. Russ only had 54.25 DraftKings points against the Lakers on Sunday, a game in which he played 40 minutes. His numbers against the Lakers from earlier in the year are even worse. That said, he is the only superstar on this slate with the possible exception of Durant, and the only one that has a real shot at 60 DraftKings points. Considering that he is back to his old college stomping ground, maybe Russ puts on a show tonight. You certainly can’t discount the possibility. However, do you really want to rely on someone with a tender ankle? Westbrook is as durable as anyone, but it’s always a possibility that the Thunder hold him out as a precaution.

Stephen Curry ($9,900): Curry’s recent struggles (for him, anyway) with his shot have driven his price back down to four digits. Considering that Curry has 103.25 DraftKings points in just 65 minutes against Dallas this season, there is solid upside here for Curry. As an added bonus, his recent struggles might also help to temper ownership.

Honorable Mention:

Damian Lillard ($9,000): I expect ownership to be lower on Lillard because of the tougher matchup and because of the caliber of players in front of him at point. However, Lillard put up 45.75 DraftKings points in the first meeting with Charlotte. His shot hasn’t been dropping as much lately, but there is the appeal of low ownership and the fact that he played well in the first meeting.

Kyle Lowry ($8,100): Lowry put up 102 DraftKings points in only 67 minutes against the Knicks earlier this season. I like Lowry over Lillard due to the price differential and the fact that I don’t see Lillard outdoing Lowry by enough to warrant the price increase. However, that will drive Lillard’s ownership down even further for those of you looking for separation from the pack.

Dennis Schroder ($7,300): This is a great matchup for Schroder here. He has 81.25 DraftKings points in two games against Orlando. The Magic still haven’t figured out how to defend point guards. Schroder lacks the consistency that we like to have at the position, but this is an elite matchup.

Dark Horses:

Josh Hart ($5,500): Surprisingly, Hart’s price is still very affordable even after three straight games of more than 35 DraftKings points since earning a slot back in the starting lineup. He is a great bargain again tonight. You have to take the high ownership with this tonight. There is really no reason to fade Hart because he is still going to be close to 7x value, even in a tougher matchup.

Fred VanVleet ($4,600): VanVleet’s great play off the bench has led to a decrease in minutes for Lowry, but not enough to consider fading him in a matchup like this. Instead, it may not be a bad idea to stack Raptors point guards against the Knicks. However, the blowout potential also has me leaning a little more towards just VanVleet on his own.

My pick: Hart(PG), Curry(G); Lowry(PG), Hart(G)

BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 25: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards lays up during the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on December 25, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

Shooting Guards:

Best Bets:

Bradley Beal ($8,600): I have been all over Beal with Wall out with generally positive results, but this is a tough sell for me at this price against Boston. The Celtcs are the best team in the league in total defense. The loss of Smart takes away from that a little, but not a whole lot. The only thing that still has Beal on my radar is his 40 DraftKings point performance against Boston earlier this season in a game in which Wall played. If Boston keys on Beal, this could be a terrible game for him. However, Washington doesn’t have much else on offense right now.

Nicolas Batum ($6,600): Denver was the only team in the last five games that was able to hold Batum under 35 DraftKings points. Tonight’s opponent, Portland, wasn’t able to hold him under 35 (he scored 38) in the first meeting, and that was before this hot streak began. Batum looks to be in a good place again tonight. Lillard tied up Kemba, which left a lot of the load for Batum. It seems like that happens again.

Honorable Mention:

Tim Hardaway Jr. ($6,400): Hardaway has 88.75 DraftKings points in two games against Toronto so far this season. I am a bit worried about the shin injury that chased him from Tuesday’s game, but the team has given him the green light to play. Make sure to keep an eye on whether the Knicks have any restrictions on him or not. If they don’t, this could be a big game for Hardaway since someone will have to pick up the load with Porzingis out.

Kent Bazemore ($6,200): Bazemore is at the very least playing with a consistent floor lately. That makes is a little easier to take the plunge on him in DFS formats. Bazemore has 68 DraftKings points in the first two games against Orlando this season. Since the Magic are the worst team in the league defending the off guard, Bazemore seems pretty certain to at the very least hit value tonight.

Terry Rozier ($5,900): Rozier’s stellar play while filling in for Irving carried over to his return to the bench against Toronto. He racked up 35.25 DraftKings points in only 24 minutes! Rozier did a number on Washington off the bench in the first meeting with 31.25 DraftKings points. It stands to reason that Rozier will keep his hot streak going. The minutes are still there with Marcus Smart sidelined.

Dark Horses:

Jonathon Simmons ($5,400): If you remember, Simmons was also listed as questionable going into the Cleveland game. All he did was drop a career high 34 points and 49.25 DraftKings points. This is another stellar matchup for Simmons here. Beware of high ownership here though. At least we will get news on whether Simmons is out or limited before the lineups lock.

Shelvin Mack ($3,600): Mack continues to rack up 7x value in his heightened role off the bench. He was off against Miami, but Miami defends the point well against both starters and backups. The Hawks have no such luxury. Mack will play at least half the game backing up both guard positions, which puts him in an excellent spot to hit well over 6x value once again.

My pick: Mack(SG); Rozier(SG)

OAKLAND, CA – JANUARY 23: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors reacts to a call during their game against the New York Knicks at ORACLE Arena on January 23, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Small Forwards:

Best Bets:

Kevin Durant ($10,000): Let’s face it: we aren’t going to see another truly huge game out of Durant unless Curry misses games. However, Durant carries at 56.8 DraftKings points average against Dallas in three games this season. Durant is the most consistent DFS commodity on the team night in and night out. This looks like a pretty safe night for Durant. He just doesn’t have the upside of Westbrook, but KD is $1,900 cheaper.

Paul George ($8,800): George has been on a tear lately, dropping two 60 bombs in the last four games. Also in that span he put up 42.75 on the Lakers. Ride the hot hand here. I would almost say that I trust George more than Westbrook. I definitely trust him more to hit value for the price than Westbrook. The price differential is $3,100!

Honorable Mention:

Evan Fournier ($6,600): Fournier has at least 25 DraftKings points in nine of the last 11 games, so it appears as though he is finally coming around. Fournier picked up 37.5 DraftKings points in the first game with Atlanta. Their perimeter defense hasn’t improved since then, so I see no reason why he can’t at least hit that mark tonight.

Brandon Ingram ($6,500): Ingram continues to be the catalyst for the Lakers with Ball out. He has 35 assists over the last six games, including five against the Thunder on Sunday. He is one of the few Lakers that I trust enough to roll out there right now. Hart and Randle are the others. Ingram is turning into the type of player that puts up numbers across all categories, making him a pretty stable DFS play.

Markieff Morris ($6,000): Morris now has seven straight games of at least 27 DraftKings points. He has been a constant producer throughout John Wall’s absence. This matchup with Boston is not a great one, but Morris has been given a larger role in the offense. That makes him a solid bet even against Boston.

Dark Horses:

Mario Hezonja ($5,300): Super Mario is back to eligibility at forward again! Hezonja has had a nice floor filling in for Aaron Gordon, putting up at least 21 DraftKings points in all six games that he has started in place of Gordon. That makes him a pretty solid value play with decent upside against the Hawks tonight. We have seen him flirt with 40 a few times, so the upside is definitely there for GPP play.

Jerami Grant ($4,800): This could end up being chalk night for Grant if Carmelo Anthony is held out. However, even if Melo plays, I love Grant here. Despite putting up 113 DraftKings points over the last four games, his price has stayed relatively low. There is still ample value here for GPP usage even if the Thunder have Anthony available for this game.

My pick: George(SF), Grant(F); Grant(SF)

OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 25: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors passes the ball over the top of LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on December 25, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Power Forwards:

Best Bets:

Draymond Green ($7,800): Green isn’t always a value play at this price, but he has 73.75 DraftKings points in the first two games against Dallas. When you add in the fact that Dallas is pretty weak up front, this looks like a place to deploy Draymond. Harrison Barnes is likely back for Dallas, but if for some reason his knee acts up today, Green’s value gets much better.

Julius Randle ($6,600): Randle played 33 minutes against the Thunder on Sunday, putting up 35 DraftKings points in that game. Randle’s streak of 25+ DraftKings points games now stands at nine, and he has been over 30 in all but two of those. His stock is skyrocketing right now, but his price has stabilized. That makes him a pretty solid value pick with decent upside tonight.

Honorable Mention:

Michael Beastley ($6,300): UNLEASH THE BEAST! With Porzingis done for the year and Enes Kanter sidelined after having surgery on his mouth, Beasley is going to play until he pukes. There is going to be a ton of open minutes for him, and we have seen what Beasley can do this year when given the chance. He hung 50 DraftKings points on Boston earlier this season, so I’m not scared of Toronto stopping him here. However, it should be noted that the Raptors swarmed Horford all night on Tuesday. If they take the same approach to Beasley, he has no chance.

Dirk Nowitzki ($5,000): Dirk may be old(er) and slow(er), but he still has averaged 27.8 DraftKings points per game in the three meetings with the Warriors. There is no upside here, but you could get between 5 and 5.5x value out of Nowitzki if you need to go cheap somewhere.

Dark Horses:

John Collins ($4,800): Gordon and Vucevic are both out, so I’m not all that concerned with Collins not hitting value here. This is a good matchup for the youngster. While his upside is capped since the Hawks wont play him more than 25-28 minutes, he can do a lot of damage in that time. He had a double-double in only 26 Minutes against Memphis on Tuesday. There is solid value here.

Dwight Powell ($4,500): The Maxi Kleber experiment seems to have subsided for now as Powell has started the last two games for Dallas. Powell has responded with 58.75 DraftKings points in those games. He is going to have his hands full with the Warriors, but I’m betting Draymond gets Harrison Barnes duty. That means Powell will still have a solid matchup, making him a strong value play here.

My pick: Randle(PF), Beasley(UTIL): Randle(PF), Beasley(F)

ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 31: Dwight Howard #12 of the Charlotte Hornets reacts during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on January 31, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Center:

Best Bets:

Dwight Howard ($8,300): Some of the buzz has subsided on Howard. In fact, his price is down $1,000 since Sunday! He struggled against Jokic and Denver, but on deck for tonight is a Portland team that he put up 40.25 DraftKings points on in the first meeting. This is a pretty good matchup for Howard, and his price is down to the point where he could even go a little over 5x value in this situation.

Steven Adams ($6,700): Adams got handled by BroLo and Adams on Sunday. Can they do it again? I have my doubts. That was Lopez’s best game of the season on both ends of the court. He came crashing back to earth on Tuesday. I have a hard time seeing Adams hit value here, but if you have the money to blow, he should outscore everyone below him with the exception of Randle.

Honorable Mention:

Jonas Valanciunas ($5,700): Boston was able to contain Jonas on Tuesday, but he gets to take on a gutted Knicks frontcourt tonight. Enes Kanter and Porzinigs are both injured, and Willy Hernangomez was jettisoned to Charlotte. That leaves only one true center on the roster tonight for the Knicks. There is huge potential for Valanciunas here.

Brook Lopez ($5,400): Lopez had one of his finest games of the season with 36.75 DraftKings points on the Thunder on Sunday in 35 minutes. Now, there is no guarantee in the Lakers rotation right now, but considering how well Lopez played in that game, I tend to think the Lakers will take the same approach, especially considering it resulted in a win. Lopez could make for a nice value pick tonight.

Dark Horses:

Kyle O’Quinn ($4,400): O’Quinn has some of the best per-minute ratios in the league. That will be put into action tonight with O’Quinn likely starting at center, and likely playing a ton of minutes. O’Quinn is the only true center for the Knicks tonight, and only Isaiah Hicks and Beastley really have the size to play the four. Hicks could be a nice play for those of you in dire need of cap relief, but O’Quinn is just too good to pass on at this price. We could see some interesting lineups for the Knicks tonight with Lance Thomas and Doug McDermott also spending some time at the four. O’Quinn and Beastley are guaranteed most of the minutes though.

Greg Monroe ($4,300): The Celtics are expected to officially sign Monroe tonight and have him in uniform against Washington tonight. While he may not start, Monroe abused Washington for 32.75 DraftKings points in 27 minutes in his first game against them in Milwaukee this year. We don’t know how much the Celtics are going to play with their new toy right out of the box, but if you like to take risks, Monroe carries a pretty big reward with him.

My pick: O’Quinn(C), Howard(C), O’Quinn(UTIL)

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